Electric lamp making apparatus



sus 29, 1958 A. wlssrrz I 2,845,325

ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 24, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Invewtor: Augus t W. SilTZ,

July 29, 1958 A. w. SEITZ ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 24} 1956 5 IDVWL'QT:

W. Seidrz $7/W OTTWEH.

Auigus t 7 July 29, 1958 A. w. QSEITZ 2,845,325

ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 24, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a Tig l 8 lnven' 'tow: Augus lr W. Sei lrz,

United States PatentOfifice 2,845,325 Patented July 29, 1958 ELECTRIC LAMP MAKING APPARATUS August W. Seitz, Euclid, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 24, 1956, Serial No. 611,717

6 Claims. (Cl. 316-31) This invention relates to lamp sealing-in apparatus for uniting the component parts of a lamp comprising a glass bulb, a glass exhaust tube and a filament mount structure. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for fusing the glass bulb to the exhaust tube, with the leading-in conductors of the mount structure hermetically sealed in the glass forming the seal between the said glass parts of the lamp.

There has recently appeared on the market a miniature type incandescent lamp comprising a small glass bulb provided with an external stem press through which are sealed a pair of pin-type lead-in conductors having rigid metal outer pin ends embedded in and projecting endwise from the glass stem press in parallel relation and serving as the terminal contacts for the lamp. T he lamp is exhausted through a glass exhaust tube which extends through and is sealed into the glass stem press between the two lead-in conductors and is tipped-01f outwardly of the stem-press. The passageway through the exhaust tube is maintained open, during the stem press forming operation, in the manner described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 549,424, R. Malm et al., filed November 28, 1955, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and disclosing a miniature bi-pin lamp of the type herein referred to. As therein disclosed, the exhaust tube passageway is maintained open during the stem press forming operation by the provision of an internal coating on the exhaust tube of a material suitable for the purpose, such as powdered zirconium oxide, for example.

In the high-speed production manufacture of such bipin type lamps on automatic lamp-making machines, it is of course highly desirable to conform to the usual manufacturin requirements customary in the lamp-making art, such as uniformity of lamp construction and quality, and minimum production rejects or shrinkage. In particular, the lamps should all have a uniform spacing between the terminal pins of the lamp so as to enable proper socketing of each lamp in a socket, and the filament mounts should be sealed into the lamp bulb in properly aligned position therein so as to properly locate the filament with respect to the lamp bulb and-to the lamp socket as well.

It is one object of my invention, therefore, to provide apparatus for automatically manufacturing bi-pin type incandescent lamps of the character referred to at high speeds and in conformance with the above-mentioned manufacturing requirements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a head construction for supporting the component parts of a lamp, of the character referred to hereinabove, in proper relation for sealing together to form a tubulated lamp bulb assembly.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, an indexing conveyor type lamp-making machine is provided with a plurality of work supporting heads each of which is provided with a bulb holding means and a mount supporting means including a mount pin against which the outer or terminal pin ends of a pair of pin-type lead-in conductors are firmly held, during the reshaping of the inner ends of the conductors and the mounting of the filament thereon and during .the sealing-in of the conductors into the lamp bulb, to thereby prevent rotation of the individual conductors during such operations and thus assure the spacing of both their inner ends and their outer pin-ends the desired predetermined distances apart in the finished lamp.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the Work-supporting head of the machine is provided with a vertically movable floating exhaust tube support pin for supporting the exhaust tube of a lamp by its lower end during the lamp sealing-in operation, and means are provided atone of the work stations of the machine for pushing down the exhaust tube and its associated support pin to a predetermined elevational sealing position and, in addition, reshaping the inner ends of the lead-in conductors in the head so as to be spaced the desired exact predetermined distance apart for mounting the lamp filament thereon.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, 1

Fig. lis a fragmentary plan view of lamp sealing-in apparatus according to the invention showing the worksupporting heads at the principal work-performing stations of the apparatus, the heads at the intervening stations being omitted for the sake of brevity.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the work-supporting heads and associated portions of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly shown in section, of one of the work-supporting heads of the apparatus at the bulb-loading station thereof.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the work-supporting heads of the apparatus and associated mechanism at one of the work stations thereof for locating the exhaust tube in proper elevational position in the head and spacing the inner ends of the lead-in conductors in the head the proper distance apart for mounting the lamp filament thereon.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 -5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of one of the work-supporting heads of the apparatus and showing the bulb, filament mount and exhaust tube for a lamp in place in the head for sealing.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 7'7 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of one of the heads of the apparatus and showing a finished lamp therein after the formation of the stern press thereon at one of the press-forming stations of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus according to the invention comprises a carrier or turret 1 provided around its periphery with a plurality of heads 2 for supporting and carrying a glass bulb 3, a filament mount 4 and a glass exhaust tube 5 in proper relation for sealing together to form a tubulated lamp bulb assembly 6 such as shown in Fig. 8. The turret 1 is rotatively mounted on a vertical center shaft or column 7 and it is intermittently indexed about the shaft 7 by suitable indexing means, as by the conventional motor-driven cam shaft and associated cam and roller arrangement such as shown in Stiles et a1. Patent 1,742,153, dated December 31, 1929, for example, to carry each head 2 progressively through a series of work stations (24 in the case of the particular machine ilustrated) where various lampmaking operations are performed. The operations essentially performed by the apparatus are the feeding of a pair of pin type lead-in conductors 8 at the first or loading station A, the feeding of the glass exhaust tube 5 at the third station C, the push-down of the exhaust tube and repositioning of the upper ends of the leadin conductors at the fourth station D to locate the exhaust tube at the correct elevational position for sealing to the lamp bulb and space the inner ends of the conductors the proper distance apart for mounting the filament thereon, the mounting of the filament on the lead-in conductors to form the lamp mount 4 at the sixth station F, the feeding of the glass bulb 3 to the head at the eight station H, the heating and fusion of the neck of the bulb to the upper end of the exhaust tube at the ninth station I and through the sixteenth station, and the pinching of the bulb neck at the thirteenth station M as well as at the next three stations to thereby form the stem press 9 (Fig. 8) on the lamp.

The sealing-in apparatus according to the invention is adapted to manufacture electric lamps or similar devices of the particular type and in the manner referred to hereinabove and described and claimed in the previously mentioned Malm et al. application Serial No. 549,- 424. Such type lamps comprise a sealed glass bulb or envelope 3 provided with an outwardly protruding pinched seal or stem press portion 9 through which a pair of lead-in conductors 8 are sealed so as to extend parallel to each other in side-by-side relation. The leadin conductors 8 are of the multi-section pin type such as are commonly employed in miniature radio tubes and comprising rigid metal outer pin portions 10 and inner lead portions 11 which are hermetically sealed in the stem press 9, the two sections 10 and 11 of each conductor being butt-welded together in end-to-end relation. The metal outer pins 10 serve as terminal contacts for the lamp and for such purpose project endwise from the stem press 9 and are embedded at their inner ends in the glass of the stem press in order to firmly anchor or support the pins in place from the press. The inner leads 11 are connected to an electrical energy translation element or filament 4 comprised, for example, of a wire of tungsten or other suitable refractory metal in coiled or coiled-coil or any other suitable form. The lamp bulb 3 is evacuated to the degree customary for conventional vacuum type incandescent lamps through an exhaust pasasgeway 12 which extends through the stem press 9 at a point between the two conductors 8. The exhaust passageway 12 is constituted by the bore of a glass exhaust tube 5 which is sealed in the stem press 9 and is tipped otf outwardly thereof, after the evacuation of the lamp bulb, to thereby hermetically seal the lamp bulb.

For manufacturing such type incandescent lamps, each head 2 of the apparatus according to the invention comprises an elongated base plate 13 mounted on and extending radially of the turret 1 and overhanging the outer periphery thereof. Fastened on the outer end of and upstanding from the base plate 13 is a head bracket 14 provided with upper and lower outwardly extending arms 15 and 16, respectively. Fastened on the upper bracket arm 15 is a mount holder member or block 17 provided with a horizontally extending top seating surface 18 (Fig. 6) and a short mount-centering pin 19 upstanding from said surface. The holder member 17 is provided with an exhaust tube receiving bore 20 extending vertically therethrough and through the mount pin 19. As shown more particularly in Fig. 7, the mountcentering pin 19 is formed with a pair of grooves or channels 21, located on opposite sides thereof and preferably in a plane radially of the turret, for accommodating the pin ends 10 of and locating the lead-in conductors 8 in a true vertical position. The grooves 21 may be of semi-circular cross section as shown, or V-shaped or of any other suitable cross sectional shape which will in- 4 sure the proper vertical poistioning and spacing apart of the pin ends 10 of the lead-in conductors 8 when firmly held in the grooves.

During the sealing operation, the lead-in conductors '8 are clamped against the opposite sides of the mount pins 19, within the grooves 21 therein, by a pair of springloaded jaw members in the form of vertically extending arms 22 which are pivotally mounted on the holder member 17, within slots 23 therein, to pivot in a common vertical plane extending radially of the turret 1. The jaw arms 22 are pivoted on pins 24 and they are provided at their upper ends with inturned opposed jaw ends 25 overlying the top seating surface 18 of the holder member 17 and having opposed jaw faces 26 located on diametrically opposite sides of the mount pin 19 and facing the groves 21 therein. The jaw members 22 are normaliy held in closed position, with their jaw faces clamping the lead-in conductors 8 against the opposite sides of the mount centering pin 19, by the force of small compression coil springs 27 which are compressed between the jaw members and the holder member and the opposite ends of which are supported in wells in the said members.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, each head 2 is provided with jaw-operating means 28 for opening the jaw members 22 to permit loading of the lead-in conductors 8 into the head and ultimate removal of the finished lamp assembly 6 therefrom. The particular jaw-operating means 28 illustrated comprises a horizontally extending vertically movable slotted arm 29 embracing the lower ends of the jaw arms 22 and fastened on a vertical slide rod 30 which is vertically reciprocable in guide openings 31 and 32 in the upper and lower bracket arms 15 and 16, respectively. The lateral jaw-operating arm 29 is provided with rollers 33 which are located in the slotted portion of the arm and which, on upward movement of the arm 2), engage sloping outer sides 34 0f the jaw members 22 to pivot the latter so as to open the jaws. The slide rod 30 and the associated jaw operating arm 29 are normally held in an inoperative lowered position, with the rollers 33 of the jaw-operating arm disengaged from the sloping faces 34 of the jaw members 22, by the force of a compression coil spring 35 fitted over the lower end of the slide rod and compressed between the lower bracket arm 16 of the head bracket 14 and a collar 36 fastened on the lower end of the slide rod.

At the first or lead-in conductor loading station A of the machine, the jaw-operating means 28 is elevated, to open the jaw members 22 so as to allow the loading of the lead-in conductors 8 into the head, by primary jawactuating means 37 located at the said station A. The said primary jaw-actuating means 37 may consist of a vertical push rod engageable with the lower end of the slide rod 30 and vertically reciprocable in a stationary portion of the machine. During the dwell of each head 2 at the lead-in conductor loading station A of the machine, the push rod 37 is first elevated to open the jaws 22, and then lowered to allow the jaws to close against the lead-in conductors 8, by suitable cam means (I10t shown) associated with and operated by the main cam shaft of the machine.

Each head 2 is also provided with secondary jawactuating means 33 for opening the jaws 22 so as to permit upward movement and partial removal of the completed lamp assembly 6 from the head 2 during its index to the last or unloading station of the machine. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the said secondary jaw-actuating means 38 comprises a bell crank lever 39 pivotally mounted on the head bracket 14 on a pivot pin 40 to pivot in a vertical plane extending radially of the turret 1, and having a more or less horizontally extending arm 41 projecting through a slot 42 in the bracket 14 and engaging with the underside of the inner end of the jaw-operating arm 29, on upward pivotal movement of the lever arm 41, to elevate the said jaw-operating arm 29 so as to open the jaw members 22. The lever 39"is pivoted in a direction to open the jaws 22' by means of a cam-actuated slide rod 43 which is horizontally reciprocable in a direction radially of the turret 1, in'a bearing block 44 upstanding from the head base plate 13, and is connected by a connecting link 45 to the other or'more or lessvertically extending arm 46' of the lever 39. The slide rod 43'is provided at its inner end with a roller'47 which rides on a stationary annular cam track 48*fixedly mounted on, and concentric with the center column or shaft 7 of the turret 1'. The lever 39 is spring-biased, in a direction to normally disengage from the jaw-actuating arm 29, by a tension coil spring 49 connected between the slide block 44 and the-arm 46 of the lever 39.

For supporting the exhaust tube 5 in proper sealing position Within the bore 20 of the holder member 170i the head 2, with the upper end of the exhaust tube pro jecting-a short distance above the mount pin 19"as'shown in Fig. 6, each head 2 is provided with a vertically ex tending" exhaust tube support pin 50 vertically. reciprocable in the lower bracket arm 16 of the head. bracket 1'4 in vertical alignment with the bore 20 of the holder member 17. At its upper end, the exhaust tube support pin 5% is provided with a recessed seat or'fiaring well 51 for receiving the lower end of the exhaust tube 5 and supporting it thereby. For supplying a non-oxidizing gas into the" lamp bulb during. the sealing operation, the" exhaust tube support'pin 50 is provided with a' vertical passageway 52 extending therethrough and open-at the top thereof so as' to communicate with the bore of the exhaust tube 5 when seated endwiseagainstthe seat 51. The said passageway 52 is connected atits'lower end to anipple'53' and through connectingfiexible conduit 54 to a source of a", suitable non-oxidizing gas such as nitrogen; for example; at" a relativelylow pressure.v The support pin"50"is provided with'a rounded lower end 55 to serve as. a shoe for'engag'em'entwith a cam track56 which underlies thetsupport' pin'Si) during; itsco'urse of travel to the last or" unloading station of the machine. To enablet'thei exhaust tube. support'pin 50 to vertically float inthehead' Z'andremainin any given elevational position to whichit'is moved, suitable friction holding,

means are providedon'the headin'ithe form o'fia collar 57"fastened to the underside. of the lower. arm..16 of the headbracket 14' and provided With a plurality of springloaded friction plugs '53'which' are 'sp'ringgpressed against the side of' the support pin" 50 to frictionally hold it in place against verticalasliding movement in the head. A stop collar 59is-fastened' on the support pin. 50 above the lower bracket arm 16 of thehead' bracket 14 to engage with the said bracket arm 15 so asto prevent accidental downward sliding movement of. the supportpin out of thehead 2 at those stations of themachine where the cam track 56; because" of its discontinuous character; does'notunderliethesupport pin 50..

Each head- 2' is provided" with suitable bulb holder means fiti forholdingithe glass'lamp. bulb 3 in proper sealing'relation over the lamp mount 4; as shown in Fig. 6, with itsneck end- 3' vertically? aligned with the mount pin 19 and surroundi ngthe upper projectingend of the exhaust tube 5 in the head. The bulb holder means 69 comprises a pair ofbomplim'entary bulb-engaging jaws 61 which are pivotally mounted'on the head bracket l4-to swing in" a horizontal plane towards and away from each other. For'such purpose, thebulb. jaws 61 are mounted on-the ing pivot shafts 62' which arejournalled. in.the upper andlower bracket arms 15" and 16, respectively, of the head bracketi-al. As shown more particularly in Figs. 6 and 8; the bulb-holding'jaws 61*are provided'with complimentary bulb-receiving pocket members 63 having,

semi-circular recesses-or pockets'64'which are defined by--a frusto-conicalbottom wall 65*anda horizontal upper wall 66 1 and =whi'ch-form, I when" the jaws 61' are closed together; a composite circular pocket or chamber" for upper ends of vertically extendreceiving and enclosing the bulbous portion of the lamp bulb 3" and positioning the bulb with its neck 3" in vertical alignment with the mount pin 19 and in proper sealing relation with respect to the exhaust tube 5 and the lead i'n conductors 8 in the head 2. The bulb holder jaws 61 are actuated or pivoted to swing between their open'position as shown at station A in Fig. 1, and their closed position as shown at station I with their conjoint circular bulb-receiving pocket 64 vertically aligned with the mount pin 19 of the head 2, by means of separate crank arm members in the form of collars 67 which are rotativelymounted on a vertical pin 68 mounted on an arm 69 of the slide bearing block 44 and connected to lever arms 70 on the bulb holder jaws '61, by means of a" cam-actuated slide rod 72 Which is horizontally reciprocable, in a direction radially of the turret 1, in the hearing block 44 and is connected at its outer end to the collars 67 by respective connecting links 73 pinned to respective ones of the collars 6'7 and to respective connecto'rib'loc'ks 74 fastened on the outer end of the slide rod 721 The connector blocks 74 are adjustable lengthwise'of' the slide rod 72 in order to assure proper centeringor' vertical aligning of the bulb-receiving pocket 6 of' the. holder jaws 61 with the mount pin 19', when the said jaws are swung to their closed position. The slide rod'72 is provided at its inner end with a roller 75 which rides" on a stationary annular cam track 76 fixedly mounted on and concentric with the center column orshaft 7*ofthe turret 1. The slide rod 72 is spring-biased, in a direction to. normally swing the bulb-holder jaws 61 to' their" closed position, by a tension-coil spring 77 con nected between spring posts 78 and 79 on the bearing block 44 and slide rod 72, respectively.

In the operation of the apparatus according. to the invention, apair of le'ad-inconductors are first loaded intoone oftheh'ea'ds. 2 of thema'ehin'e duringits dwell at the first or conductor-loading station A, the primary jaw actuating means 37 first opening the jaw members 22 to allow thefeeding of the conductors into place in the head within the grooves 21 in the mount pin 19 and then closing the jaw members 22 to cause them to. clamp the conductors'in place in the headagainst the mount pin.- The head 2 is then indexed through the next station-to the exhaust tube loading station C where an exhausttube Sis inserted into the bore 20 of'the head. Because of the previous elevation of the exhaust tube support pin 50' during the index of the head 2 to the unloading. sta tion of the machine, and the continued holdingof the support pin 50 in such elevated position by thefriction holding means 57 through-the ensuing stations of the-- machine around to the exhaust tube loading station C,- theexhaust tube 5, when fed or dropped into thebore20 of the exhaust head 2 and seated on the upper end of the support pin 50 at station C, is therefore initially posi-' tioned in the head 2 in an elevated position somewhat higher than the position it is to occupy for sealing into the lamp bulb 3. Accordingly, at the next station D'ofthe. machine, exhaust tube push-down and conductorreshaping means it} are provided for pushing down the exhaust tube to the proper elevational position within the head 2 forvsealing into the lamp bulb 3.

Referring. to Figs. 4 and 5,- the said exhaust tube push-down or positioning means '80comprises an exhaust tube push-down member 81 fastenedto and depending from the lower end of a vertically movable main-slidewhen located at station 83 of the push-down member 81 extends horizontallyina direction tangential to the path of travel of the head 2 so as to extend normal to the plane of the lead-in conducto'rs 8 in the head 2 and enter therebetween upon lowering of the push-down member 81. As shown in- Fig. 4,.the finger or anvil portion-83 is formedwith parallel extending fiat vertical sides or faces 84 which constitute anvil surfaces against which the upper ends of the lead-in conductors 8 are pressed to reshape and re-position them to the required distance apart for subsequent mounting of the filament 4 thereon. For such purpose, the finger portion 83 is made of a thickness, across the anvil faces 84, conforming to the final spacing desired for the inner ends of the lead-in conductors 8. The main slide 82 on which the exhaust tube push-down member 81 is mounted is vertically slidable in a vertically extending guideway 85 formed in a guide block 86 fastened to the upper end of a support bracket 87 upstanding from a stationary portion (not shown) of the machine. The vertical sliding movement of the main slide 82 is effected by a horizontal actuating arm 88 fastened to the upper end of a vertically extending actuating rod 89 which is vertically reciprocable in the guide block 36 and is connected by link 90 to an operating lever (not shown) which is cam-actuated from the main cam shaft of the machine. The downward movement of the actuating arm 88 is transmitted to the main slide 82 through a pair of compression coil springs 91 which are fitted over posts 92 depending from the actuating arm 88 and are compressed between the said arm and the upper end of the main slide 82. On its downward stroke, the lower end of the main slide 82 engages a limiting stop 93 fastened to the underside of the guide block 86 to thereby limit the downward movement of the main slide 82 and the exhaust tube push-down member 81 and locate them in a definite elevational position so as to cause the exhaust tube to be pushed down in the head 2 to the proper elevational position therein for sealing into the lamp bulb.

Pivotally mounted on the main slide 82, on a pivot pin 94 so as to pivot in a vertical plane radially of the turret 1, is a pair of jaw levers 95 having upwardly extending operating arm portions 96 and downwardly extending jaw end or finger portions 97 provided with opposed vertically flat jaw faces 98 which are located on opposite sides of the anvil portion 83 of the exhaust tube push-down member 81, opposite the anvil faces 84 thereof. The jaw levers 95 are spring-biased by means of a tension coil spring 99 connected between spring posts 100 on the operating arm 96 of the jaw levers to normally maintain the jaw ends 97 in open position spaced from the anvil faces 84 of the exhaust tube push-down member 81. At the completion of the downward stroke of the main slide 82, as determined by the engagement thereof with the stop 93, the jaw levers 95 are pivoted so as to close the jaw ends 97 thereof against the upper ends of the lead-in conductors 8 in the head 2 and press them firmly against the anvil faces 84 of the exhaust tube push-down member 8-1, thereby reshaping and re-positioning the upper ends of the lead-in conductors 8 the desired distance apart for mounting the filament thereon. The pivotal movement of the jaw levers 95 to close the jaw ends 97 against the lead-in conductors 8 is effected by the engagement of rollers 101 on the upper arm portions 96 of the jaw levers with the rise or high portions 102 of a wedge cam 103 mounted on a subslide 104 which is vertically slidable in a guideway 105 in the main slide 82. The subslide 104 is fastened at its upper end to the actuating arm 83 and is vertically moved thereby. On the downward stroke of the actuating arm 88 and the main slide 82 and subslide 104-, the springs 91 between the operating arm 88 and the main slide 82 permit a limited amount of downward overtravel movement of the subslide 104 relative to the main slide 82, after the latter strikes the limiting stop 93, so as to bring the elevated or high portions 102 of the wedge earn 103 opposite the rollers 101 on the jaw levers 95, thereby pivoting the jaw levers and closing the jaw ends 97 against the lead-in conductors 8. On the upward return stroke of the actuating arm 88 and actuating rod 89, the wedge cam 103, which extends through and moves vertically within a vertical slot 106 in the main slide 82,

engages with the upper end 107 of the said slot so as to then carry the main slide 82 upwardly along with the subslide 104 back to the original starting position of the said slides.

Following the push-down of the exhaust tube 5 and the reshaping of the lead-in conductors 8 at station D by the exhaust tube push-down and conductor reshaping means at said station, the head 2 is then. advanced to station F where the filament 4' is coiled at the outward side of the turret by conventional type filament coiling apparatus such as disclosed, for example, in U. S. Patent 1,771,927, Illingworth, dated July 29, 1930, and then transferred through an are a (Fig. 1) to a position against the conductors 8 where the filament is then clamped or pressed into the conductors by conventional type filament clamping mechanism such as shown, for example, in U. S. Patent 2,208,970, Geiger et al., dated July 23, 1940. Upon subsequent advance of the head 2 to station H, a bulb 3 is placed neck-end down over the lamp mount 4 in the head and rested on the jaw ends 25 of the closed conductor-clamping jaw arms 22 by suitable bulb feeding means (not shown) located at the said station H. Upon subsequent index of the head 2 from station H to the next station I, the cam follower roller 75 rides down the drop portion 76 of the cam track 76, thereby allowing the spring 77 to actuate the slide rod 72 and move it inwardly of the turret so as to swing the bulb jaws 61 to their closed position in which they clamp the bulb 3 and support it in the bulb pocket 64 in proper sealing position with respect to the exhaust tube and the filament mount in the head 2. During the dwell of the head 2 at station I as well as at the next ensuing seven stations of the machine, gas burners 108 (Fig. 1) are swung into position on opposite sides of the lamp bulb 3 to direct gas fires 109 against the bulb neck so as to soften and fuse it to the projecting upper end of the exhaust tube 5 in the head.

During the heating and fusion of the glass bulb 3 and exhaust tube 5, nitrogen or other suitable non-oxidizing gas is slowly introduced into the lower end of the exhaust tube 5, through the flexible conduit 54 and the hollow exhaust tube support pin 50, to provide a protective atmosphere within the bulb about the lead-in conductors 8 and the filament 4 therein so as to prevent the oxidizing thereof. At the thirteenth station M, as well as at the next succeeding three stations, the softened neck portion 3 of the lamp bulb is compressed in a plane radially of the turret 1 by means of respective pairs of jaws 110 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 8) which are located at each of the said stations and which close against opposite sides of the bulb neck to form the stem press 9 of the finished lamp bulb assembly 6. The fused glass stern press 9 and adjacent portions of the bulb 3 of the finished lamp bulb assembly 6 are then annealed, to remove the internal strains in the glass, by means of gas annealing fires directed against the said portions of the lamp bulb from gas burners (not shown) similar to the gas burners 108 and pivoted into position about the lamp bulb in a similar manner. The finished lamp bulb assembly 6 is then removed from the head 2 when advanced to the last or unloading station of the machine. During the index of the head 2 to the said unloading station of the machine, a rise in the cam track 48 actuates the slide rod 45 and the secondary jawactuating means 38 so as to elevate the jaw-operating arm 29 to cause the jaws 22 to open and release their grip on the lead-in conductors 8 of the lamp assembly 6 in the head. During the further travel of the head 2 to the unloading station of the machine, the exhaust tube support pin 50 rides up the rise of the cam track 56 onto the elevated portion thereof, thereby pushing up and the exhaust tube 5 of the lamp bulb assembly 6 and partially removing the bulb thereof from the head 2 so as to free for engagement and pick-up by the lamp removal mechanism (not shown) of the machine at the unloading stationtthereof. The. emptied head 2 is then advanced to thefi-rst or conductor-loading station A of the machine in readiness for the start of another operating cycle thereof:

Although a preferred embodiment of 'my invention has been disclosechit will be understood that the invention is not tolbe limited to the specific construction and arrangementof parts shown, but that they may be widely modifie'dtwithin the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

WhatI claim as-new and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States is:

1'1. Sea-lingdn apparatus for electric incandescent lamps comprising: a head for supporting in sealing relation an assembly of-alarnpmount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust t-ube, said head comprising a holder member-provided-with. a mount-supporting top seating; surface and a, mount centeringpin upstanding from said surface, a painof jaw arms pivotally mounted on said holder memberand' having opposed jaw ends-located on diametrically oppositesidesv of said mount pin, said jaw arms being spring-biased to normally= close against and clamp a pair of'leadein conductors against opposite sides of said'mount pin-with their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, said holder member having an exhaust tube receiving bore extending vertically therethrough and throughsaid mou-nt pin, exhaust tube seat means on said holder member for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a short distance above the top of said mount pin, said seat means having a passageway communicating with the interiorof theexhaust tube when seated endwise hereagains means ect ng said passageway to a supply of non-oxidizing gas at low pressure, and bulb holder means mounted on said holder member above the said seating surface thereof for holding a lamp bulb in a vertical neck-down position over the said lead-in con ductors and with its neck end surrounding the projecting upper end of the exhaust tube in said holder member.

2. Scaling-in apparatus for electric incandescent lamps comprising a head for supporting in sealing relation an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube, said head comprising a holder member provided with a mount-supporting top seating surface and a mount centering pin upstanding from said surface, a pair of jaw arms pivotally mounted on said holder member and having opposed jaw ends located on diametrically opposite sides of said mount pin, said jaw arms being spring-biased to normally close against and clamp a pair of lead-in conductors against opposite sides of said mount pin with their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, said holder member having an exhaust tube receiving bore extending vertically therethrough and through said mount pin, an exhaust tube support pin mounted in a vertically extending position on said holder member below the open lower end of and in vertical alignment with the said bore therein, said support pin having a seat at its upper end for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a short distance above the top of said mount pin, said support pin having a vertical passageway therein open at the top of the pin to communicate with the interior of the exhaust tube when seated thereon, means connecting said passageway to a supply of non-oxidizing gas at low pressure, and bulb holder means mounted on said holder member above the said seating surface thereof for holding a lamp bulb in a vertical neck-down position over the said lead-in conductors and with its neck end surrounding the projecting upper end of the exhaust tube in said holder member.

3. Sealing-in apparatus for electric incandescent lamps comprising a head for supporting in sealing relation an assembly of a lamp mount, a glass bulb and a glass exhaust tube, said head comprising a holder member provided with a mount-supporting top seating surface and a mount centering pin upstanding from said surface, a pair ofopposed jaws movablymounted on said holder member on diametrically opposite sides of said mount pin and spring-biased to normally close against and clamp a pair of lead-in conductors against opposite sides of said mount pin'with-their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, said holder member havingan exhaust tube receiving bore extending-vertically therethrough and through said mount pin, an exhaust tube support pin vertically slidable in said holder member below the open lower end of and in vertical alignment with the said bore therein, said support pin having a seat at its 'upper end for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a'short distance above the top of said mount pin, means on saidholder member frictionally holding said support pin in position against gravitational downward sliding movementin said'holdermember, said support pin having a vertical= passageway therein open at the top of the pin to-communicate withthe interior of the, exhausttube when= seated; thereon, meanswconnecting saidpassageway to a supply of non-oxidizing" gas at low-pressure, and bulb holder-mea-nsmounted on said holder'memberabove the-said seatingsurface thereof for holdinga lamp bulb in avertical neck-down position over the said lead-in conductorsand with itsneck end surroundingtheprojecting upper end of the exhaust tube in said holder member.

4. sealing in-apparatus for electric incandescent lamps comprising a carrier having a head supported thereon, means for advancing said' carrier to. transport the head through a series ofworkstations, said head comprising a'hol'd'er member-provided with a mountL-supporti'ngtop seating surface and a mount centering pin upstanding from said surface, a pair of opposed jaws movably mounted on said holder member on diametrically opposite sides of said mount pin and spring-biased to normally close against and clamp a pair of lead-in conductors against opposite sides of said mount pin with their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, said holder member having an exhaust tube receiving bore extending vertically therethrough and through said mount pin, an exhaust tube support pin vertically slidable in said holder member below the open lower end of and in vertical alignment with the said bore therein, said support pin having a seat at its upper end for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a short distance above the top of said mount pin, means on said holder member frictionally holding said support pin in position against gravitational downward sliding movement in said holder member, said support pin having a vertical passageway therein open at the top of the pin to communicate with the interior of the exhaust tube when seated thereon, means connecting said passageway to a supply of non-oxidizing gas at low pressure, exhaust tube push-down means located at one of said work stations in a position above the head thereat and vertically movable into engagement with the upper end of the exhaust tube in said head to push it down to a predetermined elevational position therein, and bulb holder means mounted on said holder member above the said seating surface thereof for holding a lamp bulbin a vertical neck-down position over the said lead-in conductors and with its neck end surrounding the projecting upper end of the exhaust tube in said holder member.

5. Sealing-in apparatus for electric incandescent lamps comprising a carrier having a head supported thereon, means for advancing said carrier to transport the head through a series of work stations, said head comprising a holder member provided with a mount-supporting top seating surface and a mount centering pin upstanding from said surface, a pair of opposed jaws movably mount- I ed on said holder member on diametrically opposite sides of said mount pin and spring-biased to normally close 11 against and clamp a pair of lead-in conductors against opposite sides of said mount pin to support the conductors in place on the holder member with their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, jaw-operating means on said head movable into engagement with said jaws to open them and spring-biased to normally disengage from said jaws, primary jaw-actuating means located at one of said work stations and movable into engagement with said jaw-operating means to actuate the latter so as to open said jaws, secondary jaw-actuating means mounted on said head and movable into engagement with the jaw-operating means to actuate the latter so as to open said jaws, a cam track co-extensive with a portion of the path of travel of said head and engageable with said secondary jaw-actuating means during the advance of said carrier to actuate said jaw-operating means so as to open said jaws, said holder member having an exhaust tube receiving bore extending vertically therethrough and through said mount pin, exhaust tube seat means on said head for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a short distance above the top of said mount pin, and bulb holder means mounted on said head above the said seating surface for holding a lamp bulb in a vertical neck-down position over the said lead-in con- 12 site sides of said mount pin and spring-biased to normally close against and clamp a pair of lead-in conductors against opposite sides of said mount pin with their lower ends seated against the said seating surface, said holder member having an exhaust tube receiving bore extending vertically therethrough and through said mount pin, a

vertically extending exhaust tube support pin disposed below the open lower end of and in vertical alignment with said bore, said support pin being vertically slidable in said holder member and having a seat at its upper end for supporting an exhaust tube by its lower end within said bore and with its upper end projecting a short distance above the top of said mount pin, means on said holder member frictionally holding said support pin in position against gravitational downward sliding movement in said holder member, exhaust tube positioning and conductor-reshaping means located at one of said stations and comprising a vertically movable push-down member engageable with the upper end of the exhaust tube in said head to push it down to a predetermined elevational position therein and conductor reshaping fingers movable to press the conductors against opposite sides of said push-down member to space them a predetermined distance apart, and bulb holder means mounted on said holder member above the said seating surface thereof for holding a lamp bulb in a vertical neck-down position over the said lead-in conductors and with its neck end surrounding the projecting upper end of the exhaust tube in said holder member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

